Improvement in cloth-plaiting machines



PATENT EEicEC HENRY DUNPHY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT CLOTH-PLAITING MACHINES.

Specication forming part of Letters Patent No. 35,367, dated May 27,1862.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY DUNPHY, of the city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented .a new and useful Improvement in Machines forFolding Cloth for Bosoms, Plaits,

.Tucks, Snc.; and I do hereby declare the fol- `lowing to be a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, figures, and letters of refrence thereon, makingpart of this specificaion.

0f the said drawings, Figure l shows a vertical transverse section ofthe machine taken through the screw E. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinalsection of the same. Fig. 3 is a top view. Fig. 4 isa perspective viewof the machine.

the surface ofthe cloth, (out to the desired size,) or by strips orslots of tin, steel, or similar material of the desired width, aroundwhich the cloth was folded. The operation as above described is veryslow and requires much care to produce perfect work.

The object of my invention is to produce a machine which shall be vastlylabor-saving, perfect and rapid in operation, and adapted for foldingcloth lengthwise of any length.

To enable others skilled in the art to make and use my invention, I willproceed to describe the construction and operation thereof.

A reprepresents a bed provided with dovetail or other suitable grooves,H H, in which the holders B freely slide. These holders are made with amortise, F, lengthwise for receiving andllockingthe blades a a a andseparators b b b, as shown. To one side of the bed A there is fastenedan inclined bar, C. To

this bar there is pivoted at c a bar, D, which is fastened by a pin, G,Fig. 1, .inserted in j the holesd d, Fig. 3. The purpose of this barisfor flattening and smoothing the folds after they are drawn through thefolders. The folders a a. a.` are a series of metal blades (havingrounded edges, so as not to injure the cloth) for the desired number ofplaits or folds to be made, and are separated a sufficient distance fromeach other by means of the pieces b b t. These blades a and pieces b aremade to slide freely through the mortise F in the holders B, and, beingadjusted to the desired width of folds, are clamped sev curely by thescrews E E. (Shown in Figs. l and 2.)

Operation: The operation of the machine is as follows: The blades a a aand pieces b b b being adj usted to the desired width and number offolds, the operator takes the end of a strip of cloth and with a thinpiece of metal tucks the cloth into the interstices made by the blades aand pieces b in one of the holders B. The other holder is then broughtforward to the first and the two holders fastened to the bed A. Thevcloth will thus be held loosely in folds by the blades c a a matchingeach other. The operator now takes hold of the end of the cloth thusentered and draws it through the blades lengthwise a short distance,when it is clamped to a rotating cylinder, and a strip of cloth of anynumber of yards is rapidly drawn through and perfectly folded, ready forthe sewing-machine.

The iiattening and smoothing bar D may be heated, for the purpose ofbetter smoothing the material, by a hot ironvplaced upon thev top of thebar D, which may have agtrough or cavity cast therein for its reception,or in any other suitable way.

The great advantages of my folding-machine will'be obvious to allpersons familiarwith folding and stitching work on sewingmachines. Awhole web (usually forty yards) can be perfectly folded by the use of mymachine in less time than a person under ordinary circumstances and withordinary implements can fold six yards after the cloth has been cut tothe proper length for shirtbosoms.

Another important advantage is the stitching the material in longstrips, thereby obviating the necessity of stopping or slacking thespeed of the sewing-machine'in passing from one piece of materialto'another.

I claim as my invention- 1. Combining with movable holders B B a seriesof blades or folders, a tra, separated from each other the desireddistance by the pieces b b b for folding cloth into plaits, sub- 3. Theholders B B for locking up the foldstantially as set forth and specied.ers a and separators b, constructed and oper- 2. In combination with thefolders a, sepzti ating substantially as set forth and specified.

rators I), and movable holder B, the ironingbar D for flattening andsmoothing the folds 1 Witnesses:

after they are passed through the folders7 subl W. WORAY,

stantially as described and specified.

HENRY DUN PHY. [L s] C. A. DURGIN.

